Review standards for approving road side billboards, Road design expert tells LASG
The recent accident near Ilasamaja Bus stop on Oshodi-Apapa Expressway caused by collapsed billboard hit by trailer which claimed the lives of three passengers leaving several others injured has begin to elicit reactions from transport and road management experts.
It would be recalled that three persons were feared dead, while seven suffered severe injuries when a heavy sign post on the Express Way knocked down by a heavy duty truck fell on a fast moving commercial vehicle on Wednesday afternoon.
Available Police report averred that “The accident was caused by a pole which fell on a moving commercial vehicle”.
According to LASEMA, preliminary investigation carried out by its response team at the scene revealed that an empty lorry truck, IVECO, with registration number MEK 695 XA hit an overhead sign post, which fell on a commercial Coaster bus coming from behind.
The General Manager LASEMA, Mr. Adesina Tiamiyu said “Unfortunately, seven victims, four adult female and three adult male, with severe injuries were rescued and stabilised by the Agency’s officials and LASAMBUS and subsequently transferred to Mushin general hospital for treatment, while 3 adult male lost their lives and were later handed over to officials of the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU) to be transferred to the mortuary.”
Though efforts to reach the advertising company (name with held) failed, a Lagos based road design engineer with one of the leading road engineering companies, Donald Momoh told Business Hilights on phone that “let me be sincere, more than 85 per cent of billboards on Lagos highways anyhow you look at them, contravened safe limits for structural objects on main roads”.
“The only ones I can say that are well situated are those built for viewing when you are on Third Mainland Bridge. If you can recall, you will remember that many of them stood far away from the bridge and are also well sighted while driving on the stretch. That is the real distance a billboard should give every highway”.
Engineer Momoh averred that “It is wrong for billboards to give the same distance ordinary buildings on roadside give to highways because of their sight attraction which can distract any driver on high speed”.
Continuing, he blamed the Lagos advertising and signage agency (LASAA) for giving random approvals without true reconnaissance survey on their suitability and danger possibilities.
Though efforts to speak to the agency in Lagos state failed at press time, there are indications that many Lagos billboards are erected without recourse to allowable standards.
